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A Publication of the Peace Education Fund of Indiana, Inc.
Volume 3, Number 4 •All the news that fits we print.• October 1988
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Central America Update
Disarmament Section
Feature Article
Feminist Focus
General News
Up and Coming
Page 9
Page 3
Page 1
Page 5
Page 8
Page 11
Around the Bend is a forum for expres ­sion
of ideas, opinions, and information
from a coalition of peace and justice or­ganizations.
The opinions expressed herein
are those of the authors and are not neces­sarily
endorsed by all or any of the con­tributing
organizations. Contributions
from all perspectives are invited.
Around the Bend will be mailed on the
last day of each month. It takes about two
weeks to assemble and print each issue.
Articles are due not later than two weeks
from the end of the month. The deadline for
copy for the November issue will be October
16th. Please send or bring articles to 431
Chamberlain St., South Bend, 46615, care of
the appropriate editor.
Articles longer than 400 words will
be considered feature articles. Only one
feature article will be published each
month. Articles about past events should
give a general overview of the event and be
shorter than 400 words.
"WOMEN IN CUBA
By Ann Clark
It's now more than a year since I went to
Cuba to look at education for women there.
Hindsight suggests that one of the most
important things learned was that I and my
compatriots had an intense investment in
finding that women felt sexually oppressed
there. We looked and looked for our ver­sion
of sexism. We spent precious time
interrogating people about it when we could
have been learning all sorts of intriguing
differences about life under socialism,
about the practical effects of this legis-lative
and legal system on women's lives.
Worse, we were angry when we couldn't find
the sexism we sought. "It has to be here
somewhere, " we said. We wanted to find
sexism, all of us politically active left
women; we needed it.
But the Cuban women we talked to did not
feel oppressed. Their constitution expli­citly
states that both husband and wife
"must care for the family they have creat­ed"
and that "each must participate in the
running of the home. " Cuban women are
outstripping men in education, particularly
in medicine. They are well represented in
the Popular Power councils. The national
women's federation is one of the most ef­fective
sources of policy and change in the
country.
On the other hand, four hundred years of
Afro-Spanish culture leaves them still
shouldering the major responsibility for
home and child care and they are still way
underrepresented at the highest levels of
government. But they are not angry. They
do not feel themselves to be victims.
Instead, they are energetic and firm, full
of equanimity and humour. We didn' t find
what we were looking for. And this made us
edgy, cross and anxious. It was very un­settling.
What was it exactly that we were not
finding in Cuba? Among U.S. women who have
thought about feminism or have been in­volved
in consciousness raising, a model
through which to understand male-female
relationships has developed. Working as an
alternative to attitudes and experiences
which leave us feeling devalued, the model
is a source of self-valuation, of our im­portance
and even of our identity. In each
others' experience, we have learned to
recognize a pattern of women's economic and
emotional oppression by individual men: a
pattern of victimization in the face of
which we act as heroines. Women as heroic
victims, united in this condition to each
0th.er around the world. The model looks
universal, seeming sometimes even a genetic
characteristic. And of course, valiant
victims, struggling against evil in the
face of heavy odds are GOOD, better than
other people, you all know the ones I mean.

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Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University South Bend Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. The Indiana University South Bend Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyright interest for non-university records or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. It is the researcher’s responsibility to seek permission from the copyright owner and any other rights holders for any reuse of these images that extends beyond fair use or other statutory exemptions. Furthermore, responsibility for the determination of the copyright status and securing permission rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University South Bend Archivist.

Transcription

A Publication of the Peace Education Fund of Indiana, Inc.
Volume 3, Number 4 •All the news that fits we print.• October 1988
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Central America Update
Disarmament Section
Feature Article
Feminist Focus
General News
Up and Coming
Page 9
Page 3
Page 1
Page 5
Page 8
Page 11
Around the Bend is a forum for expres ­sion
of ideas, opinions, and information
from a coalition of peace and justice or­ganizations.
The opinions expressed herein
are those of the authors and are not neces­sarily
endorsed by all or any of the con­tributing
organizations. Contributions
from all perspectives are invited.
Around the Bend will be mailed on the
last day of each month. It takes about two
weeks to assemble and print each issue.
Articles are due not later than two weeks
from the end of the month. The deadline for
copy for the November issue will be October
16th. Please send or bring articles to 431
Chamberlain St., South Bend, 46615, care of
the appropriate editor.
Articles longer than 400 words will
be considered feature articles. Only one
feature article will be published each
month. Articles about past events should
give a general overview of the event and be
shorter than 400 words.
"WOMEN IN CUBA
By Ann Clark
It's now more than a year since I went to
Cuba to look at education for women there.
Hindsight suggests that one of the most
important things learned was that I and my
compatriots had an intense investment in
finding that women felt sexually oppressed
there. We looked and looked for our ver­sion
of sexism. We spent precious time
interrogating people about it when we could
have been learning all sorts of intriguing
differences about life under socialism,
about the practical effects of this legis-lative
and legal system on women's lives.
Worse, we were angry when we couldn't find
the sexism we sought. "It has to be here
somewhere, " we said. We wanted to find
sexism, all of us politically active left
women; we needed it.
But the Cuban women we talked to did not
feel oppressed. Their constitution expli­citly
states that both husband and wife
"must care for the family they have creat­ed"
and that "each must participate in the
running of the home. " Cuban women are
outstripping men in education, particularly
in medicine. They are well represented in
the Popular Power councils. The national
women's federation is one of the most ef­fective
sources of policy and change in the
country.
On the other hand, four hundred years of
Afro-Spanish culture leaves them still
shouldering the major responsibility for
home and child care and they are still way
underrepresented at the highest levels of
government. But they are not angry. They
do not feel themselves to be victims.
Instead, they are energetic and firm, full
of equanimity and humour. We didn' t find
what we were looking for. And this made us
edgy, cross and anxious. It was very un­settling.
What was it exactly that we were not
finding in Cuba? Among U.S. women who have
thought about feminism or have been in­volved
in consciousness raising, a model
through which to understand male-female
relationships has developed. Working as an
alternative to attitudes and experiences
which leave us feeling devalued, the model
is a source of self-valuation, of our im­portance
and even of our identity. In each
others' experience, we have learned to
recognize a pattern of women's economic and
emotional oppression by individual men: a
pattern of victimization in the face of
which we act as heroines. Women as heroic
victims, united in this condition to each
0th.er around the world. The model looks
universal, seeming sometimes even a genetic
characteristic. And of course, valiant
victims, struggling against evil in the
face of heavy odds are GOOD, better than
other people, you all know the ones I mean.